Lemuel Stinson

The Bears signed veteran center Jerry Fontenot and fourth-round draft pick Todd Perry to a series of three-year contracts Wednesday. Third-round choice Chris Gedney, a tight end out of Syracuse, agreed to terms Tuesday. Fontenot, 26, a restricted free agent and the Bears' third-round pick in 1989, started all 16 games at center last season. He played guard and center in his first three years with the Bears. Perry, 22, a fourth-round selection, was a four-year starter at guard for...

When free-agent cornerback Anthony Blaylock found a new home in the Bears secondary during the off-season, it was only a matter of time before the tight-knit unit would lose one of its most popular members. The signing of Blaylock last April signaled the beginning of the end of Lemuel Stinson's career in Chicago, and Blaylock soon realized that he would have to earn the respect of the rest of the Bears' defensive backs if he was going to become an integral part of the group. "When I...

Now, let's get this straight. Backup quarterback Jim Harbaugh has asked the Bears to play him on special teams so he can get banged up a little? It's true. It's not that Harbaugh is into pain or anything. He just wants to make some kind of contribution to the football team he plays for. "I`ll tell you what I miss the most," he said. "I miss the hitting. I swear to God, I miss that feeling of waking up in the morning and feeling sore. That feeling like you`ve left something out there on...

Now you see them, now you don't. But maybe, just maybe, you will see them again. The Bears pulled off part one of the National Football League's new magic act Monday. They released 14 players to reduce their roster to 46, one under the mandatory limit for this date. Last week, the Bears placed veteran guard Tom Thayer (back surgery) on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list. He will be ineligible to play for the first six weeks of the regular season and he does not count against the...

It was thought that coach Mike Ditka would leave the field-goal kicking to Kevin Butler after his return from a prolonged holdout. But Ditka said that left-footed rookie Chris Gardocki might get another shot at it Saturday against the Raiders, along with punting and kickoff duties. "I might let him kick a field goal," said Ditka. "He's the kicker. That's what his job is. We`ve got to find out for sure whether he can do it or can`t. He`ll get a chance to do all three." Three's a crowd: With...

The Bears began chopping $25,000 a day off their $400,000 contract offer to cornerback Lemuel Stinson on Tuesday. But the six-year veteran says he is not bowing to the threats. "I'm not a fool. I am much smarter than that. Tell them I had a 3.2 grade-point average coming out of college," said Stinson from his suburban Chicago home. "We are going to sit and wait and see who gets tired fastest. I ain't going to get tired. I am just going to work out, just in case a call comes...

- Calvinism: Former Bears linebacker Otis Wilson sees merit in the assertion made by Calvin Thomas that some NFL teams protect certain players when it comes to drug testing. "I imagine there is some truth to that. . . . There are some players that aren`t treated the same," Wilson told Q-101 radio. "So you would think if something of that nature would happen, that of course they would make sure it wouldn`t be a big problem or a deterrent to their team." Thomas, a...

Tackle Stan Thomas was a surprise participant Saturday in the Bears' workout at Lake Forest. Thomas, arrested Wednesday for drunken driving, had spent two days attending alcohol-awareness sessions at the behest of Bears management and the NFL. He had been excused from the first three days of non-contact workouts and was not expected until Sunday in Platteville, Wis. "I got my personal stuff taken care of early, and I'm just looking forward...

Tackle Stan Thomas was a surprise participant Saturday in the Bears' workout at Lake Forest. Thomas, arrested Wednesday for drunken driving, had spent two days attending alcohol-awareness sessions at the behest of Bears management and the NFL. He had been excused from the first three days of non-contact workouts and was not expected until Sunday in Platteville, Wis. "I got my personal stuff taken care of early, and I'm just looking forward...

The Bears signed veteran center Jerry Fontenot and fourth-round draft pick Todd Perry to a series of three-year contracts Wednesday. Third-round choice Chris Gedney, a tight end out of Syracuse, agreed to terms Tuesday. Fontenot, 26, a restricted free agent and the Bears' third-round pick in 1989, started all 16 games at center last season. He played guard and center in his first three years with the Bears. Perry, 22, a fourth-round selection, was a four-year starter at guard for...

It is the opinion of Mike Ditka, the high priest of football etiquette, that talking trash constitutes illegal procedure. He would rather take out the garbage all week than hear it all week, though this week he had no choice. Lemuel Stinson and Deion Sanders made sure of that, with directory assistance ably provided by Andre Rison on a three-way hookup that had telephone lines burning between Atlanta and Chicago. They had the time, they had the dimes, and in a rare and...

Craig Heyward is the latest big-name, big-frame free agent to visit the Bears, arriving Thursday in Chicago for a workout Friday. The hefty New Orleans Saints fullback, whose weight fluctuates between 260 and 290 pounds, could be the Bears' insurance policy if incumbent fullback Brad Muster signs with another club as an unrestricted free agent. Saints President Jim Finks says he would like to have Heyward back next season. "We really don't have a contingency...

If Lemuel Stinson walks around a little crooked Sunday, it's because he is carrying a king-sized chip on his shoulder. And if his attitude is any indication, the Bears might be back to their old mean and nasty ways. "There are a lot of people out there who think it's a joke that I`m starting Sunday," Stinson said of opening the season at right cornerback against Seattle. "I`m out to prove them wrong. I`m out to let everyone know I`m not a joke. This is not a temporary thing.

Packers coach Mike Holmgren incurred the wrath of Bears coach Mike Ditka last season when he was the offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers. Rookie quarterback Bill Musgrave threw a touchdown pass in the waning seconds of the 49ers` 52-14 rout of the Bears and Ditka assumed the passing orders came from Holmgren and 49ers head coach George Seifert. Truth was, Musgrave called the play himself. Now, as head coach of the Packers, Holmgren has expressed...

Glen Kozlowski's idea of an unassisted triple play would be to make a bone-shattering tackle, pick up the loose ball and return it for a touchdown. "That's what all special-teams players dream about," said the Bears` reserve wide receiver. "It takes a little luck to get everything else going right, but you can control the hit." Kozlowski, who leads assistant coach Steve Kazor's special-teamers with 15 tackles this season, received a game ball for his...

- Adding it up: Mike Ditka's tirades since the Bears lost in Tampa have Chicago's sports fans wringing their hands. Columnists, who have savaged him in past weeks, suddenly are expressing concern over Ditka's state of mind. During Tuesday's luncheon appearances, players were bombarded with questions about his moods. Even Pioneer Press luncheon host Mike Pyle, who some feel is attached surgically to the coach, used the expression "seems to have gone around the...

Although the Bears won`t be at full strength, 20 of 22 starters who opened the season will be ready for their playoff opener Sunday in Soldier Field against the Saints. With linebacker Ron Rivera making what coach Mike Ditka described as a "remarkable recovery" from a sprained knee, only quarterback Jim Harbaugh and cornerback Lemuel Stinson will be missing from the lineup that shut down Seattle 17-0 back on Sept. 9. That's only one starter on offense and one on defense,...

Darren Lewis says it is no big deal. Richard Fain also is trying to shrug it off. But two of the Bears` four new starters Sunday will be starting for the first time in their young NFL careers. Lewis gets the nod over veteran running back Neal Anderson when the Bears travel to Tampa Bay. Fain will start at right cornerback in place of Lemuel Stinson. The other two new starters-free safety David Tate and outside linebacker Ron Cox-have heard their names announced in...

The Bears will be after their 10th straight NFC Central Division victory at Soldier Field when Tampa Bay drops in on Oct. 18. The Bears have not lost a division game at home since 1989, when Green Bay prevailed 40-28 in December. Since Mike Ditka took over in 1982, the Bears are 56-21 against the NFC Central, 31-7 at home. Rank and file: The latest NFL rankings show the Bears sixth overall on offense-sixth in rushing and ninth in passing. Defensively, they remain 25th...

The word on the street became official Wednesday. Mike Ditka confirmed changes in the starting lineup for Sunday's game at Tampa Bay. "We are going to start three guys on defense who haven`t started," said Ditka. He said Ron Cox will play instead of John Roper at left outside linebacker, David Tate instead of Mark Carrier at free safety and Richard Fain instead of Lemuel Stinson at right cornerback. "On offense, we will start Darren Lewis at tailback (instead of Neal Anderson)